(FreshAsFrankie) Tempers flared during a City Council meeting in Euclid, Ohio this week, as citizens of the Cuyahoga County city showed up in numbers to protest the government’s handling of police brutality in the Black community. One resident, in particular, U.S. military veteran Damien Parker, went so far as to warn Mayor Kirsten Gail and Police Scott Meyer that he’s got the city organized to shut them down if they don’t get a handle on the situation.
The Monday [August 21] meeting convened after the beating of 25-year-old motorist Richard Hubbard, who was pummeled during a traffic stop and charged with resisting arrest. Hubbard’s abuse at the hands of Euclid patrolmen was the final straw for many, who had been taking to the streets since the shooting death of unarmed 23-year-old Luke Stewart back in March. It took five months for the officer involved, Matthew Rhodes, to get desk duty pending an investigation.
“I came up here to talk to you and to you so that those hands can still be on those reins,” a recording shows Parker asserts stepping up to tell Gail and Meyer. “Now, if you think, for one second, that I am going to sit here and keep that same demeanor while you’re kicking folks out, or telling them you’re not going to speak or bring in your damn turtles (riot police) in here to start pushing people out, you got another thing coming,” he then said, before suggesting that his people are well prepared to respond to such a scenario.
Dee Beasley is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of FreshAsFrankie.com. After starting out as a musician-producer he went on to study the music business and work in Urban Promotions, followed by artist management. Mr. Beasley entrepreneurial spirit has led him to launch numerous businesses in music and fashion marketing. He’s a huge fan of the ’80s and ’90s Hip Hop and R&B, and he’s a firm believer that Hip Hop Music will never die.